


A Power Outage, a Date, and a New Friend

by Impala_Chick



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Banter, Jealousy, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24383812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick
Summary: The power goes out during Shane and Ryan's intro to sociology class, and Ryan is convinced that there is a ghost afoot.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Comments: 6
Kudos: 143
Collections: Froday Flash Fiction Little & Monthly Specials 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the fffc Scrabble challenge. Words used were campus and calm.

A very sudden and very loud bang was the only warning they got before the entire classroom was plunged into darkness.

“Damn, I knew I shouldn’t have taken a night class,” Shane joked as he waited for his eyes to adjust.

Off to Shane’s left, he heard Ryan groan. “Our campus is haunted, dude.”

“It definitely is not, because ghosts aren’t real,” Shane shot back. “No need to cause a panic.”

Now that Shane could see in the dark, he glanced around. It seemed that most people were still seated and gazing around the room, just like he was.

“Then how do you explain this?” Ryan hissed. 

“Shitty wiring that hasn’t been updated since the 70s? Outdated building permits? A budget that completely de-prioritized building renovations?” Shane tapped his pencil against his notebook. He heard a few other students laugh at his retort. 

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Whatever, man. You’re seeing what you want to see, as usual.” 

“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” Shane wasn’t actually angry, but he did want to keep getting a rise out of Ryan. Since they were trapped in a dark classroom for the foreseeable future, might as well generate some entertainment.

Ryan didn’t get a chance to answer, because a student screamed loud enough to pierce Shane’s ear drums. Immediately after, the whole room fell eerily silent. 

Ryan jumped up out of his chair and headed towards the sound with his arms out in front of him.

“Ryan?” Shane hissed. He figured the best plan was to stay put and wait. The scream probably just came from someone who was not very fond of the dark. No reason to panic, yet.

“Are you okay?” Ryan called out. 

“I… think?” A feminine voice answered. She didn’t sound particularly scared, just slightly confused.

Ryan kept right on moving down the row. Shane only hesitated a moment longer before getting up from his seat and following after Ryan. 

It was probably nothing. No, it was definitely nothing.

But at least Shane could bear witness and make fun of Ryan afterwards for his overreaction. 

By this time, a few people had turned on the flash lights on their phones. The bright lights were throwing huge shadows up on the walls or giving people strange shadows across their faces. He could hear the hushed murmurs of several students talking amongst themselves, but Shane kept his eyes on the tense set of Ryan’s shoulders. 

“I’m coming to you,” Ryan called out. 

“Okay,” the feminine voice replied. Ryan climbed the stairs and headed towards the sound of the voice.

Shane was annoyed that no one else was speaking up. Surely there was already someone in the back row who could see what had happened? There was no reason they needed to talk all the way to the back of the lecture hall just so Ryan could hit on someone.

Once he got to the back row, Ryan turned his cell phone flash light on and pointed it down the row. A cute woman with curly hair and glasses had her feet pulled up onto her chair.

“Hey, you okay?” Ryan asked gently.

“Yeah. I just thought I saw something move under me. Like a rat or something.”

Ryan swept the flash light beam under her chair, searching for the cause of her fear. He then continued down the aisle with his flash light held out in front of him.

“You know, it was probably just the spooky atmosphere that scared ya. I haven’t seen any rats in here,” Shane offered. He was pretty sure they were on a fool’s errand. He didn’t understand why Ryan was acting like such a big damn hero about this whole situation. 

The woman lowered her legs back to the ground and looked over at Shane sheepishly. “Yeah, you’re probably right. It’s just weird, right? The lights going out?”

“Oh, for sure,” Shane replied with a smile. “But they’ll get it sorted out.” Shane waived his hand towards the front of the classroom, where their professor was on her phone. Shane couldn’t really hear what she was saying, but he was sure it was related to their unfortunate power outage.

“Okay, all clear,” Ryan announced once he came back to them. He waived the light in Shane’s face with his lips pursed together, looking annoyed. Shane blinked in the face of the light, and by the time he looked back at Ryan, his attention was focused on their new friend.

“I’m Ryan.” He stuck out his hand, and the women shook it.

“Sara.” She smiled at Ryan and then at Shane. 

“Thanks for, you know. Caring.” She shrugged and twirled her pencil in her hand. 

“Can’t be too careful.” Ryan’s voice was light, like maybe he was flirting. Which shouldn't have raised Shane's hackles, but he couldn't help his immediate cringy reaction. It wasn’t his place to police Ryan. He wasn’t the kind of guy that got all possessive over his friends, at least not usually.

Shane rubbed his hand through his hair and turned away to hide the uncomfortable expression on his face. It looked like Ryan was all ready to sit down next to Sara and start up a conversation with her, so far be it for Shane to stop him. He started to slink back to his seat so he could pretend he was not eavesdropping and parsing Ryan’s every word.

Shane was saved from the embarrassment when their professor spoke up above the subdued rumblings of whispering students.

“Okay, sorry about this everyone. Looks like the whole building is down for now, so we are going to call it. I’ll email out the slides and we’ll pick up next class.”

There was a smattering of applause and a few cheers as everyone scrambled to pack up their stuff.

“Looks like your ghost got us out of class,” Shane said to Ryan, before he turned to Sara. “Nice to meet you, Sara.”

“You guys too!” She said as she jumped up from her seat. 

Shane carefully walked back down the stairs to his own seat, not even bothering to get out his phone. Ryan was behind him the whole way, illuminating the steps in front of them. Once he reached his stuff, he started haphazardly jamming his notebook and pen into his messenger bag without looking at Ryan.

“What was that about?” Ryan hissed as he grabbed Shane’s arm. Shane paused his furious packing and met Ryan’s eyes reluctantly. 

“I don’t…” Shane sighed and changed course mid sentence. “Why didn’t you just ask for her number?” 

Ryan’s eyes went wide for a moment before he suddenly doubled over in a wheeze. 

“Seriously?” He managed to say in between gasps for air.

Shane put a hand on his hip, not at all amused. “What are you playing at, Bergara?”

“I’ve been trying to ask _you_ out all semester!” 

Oh. _Oh._ Shane searched Ryan’s face, waiting for the punchline. But Ryan had stopped laughing. 

“Well then, why didn’t you?” Shane finally said, once he remembered how to speak. 

“I wasn’t sure if you were interested. You don’t exactly give many clues.” Ryan started to pack his backpack with the hugest smirk on his face. 

Shane harrumphed and turned back to his backpack. He felt the heat on his cheeks, and he wondered if he was actually blushing. How embarrassing. But then he remembered that he and Ryan hadn’t exactly come to a resolution about the whole date thing. 

“So, will you?”

“Will I, what?” Ryan paused and looked over at Shane, still grinning like an idiot. 

“Ask me out?” Shane said meekly. 

Ryan didn’t even hesitate. “Let’s go out, big guy.” 

Shane was too busy gaping at Ryan in shock to notice that Sara had walked up to them. “Hey, you guys are cute.” 

She pointed between them with a knowing look in her eye before giving them a little waive. 

“Thanks,” Ryan said with a laugh. At least Ryan had the manners to answer her before she turned to walk out.

Shane then realized that probably half the class just heard their little exchange. He frantically looked around, but in the dark it was hard to make out any one’s facial expressions. No one was really looking at them, anyway. He breathed a sigh of relief. He'd rather not be embarrassed in front of Ryan _and_ their entire Sociology class. What if he needed help with his homework in the future from one of them? What if - horror of horrors - they got assigned a group project with Shane?

“I like her,” Ryan said as he pointed after Sara. He shouldered his backpack as Shane put the strap of his messenger bag over his head. They both headed for the door and stepped out into the crisp evening air. Shane couldn't stop smiling once he realized that Ryan wasn't taking it back. He'd asked him out and he'd meant it, evidently.

“Yeah, I mean I like her a lot more now that I know you weren’t hitting on her,” Shane dead-panned. 

“I heard that!” Sara called out from in front of them. 

“You might as well wait up for us,” Shane called back. She laughed and then turned around.

“A date and a new friend? That power outage really worked out for you,” Sara teased. That set Ryan off, which inevitably made Shane chuckle, and then all three of them were laughing as they headed down the well-lit pathway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little prequel, about when Shane and Ryan first met in this AU.
> 
> For the fffc prompts: mysterious, happy, male, past, love, <500 words.

The buff guy in Shane’s introduction to sociology class is a sight to behold. Nearly every morning he slides into his seat just as class is about to start. He always has on a jersey and basketball shorts, like he was either heading to or from the gym. And he always types furiously on his laptop throughout class like his life depends on taking down every word that came out of Professor Zogby’s mouth.

Shane occasionally stares at the back of the guy’s head. He keeps the hair there short, but it still looks soft. Shane wonders what it would feel like to touch it. Mystery guy likes his jerseys sort of big, and there’s always a lot of golden skin showing at the base of his neck. Shane wonders if the guy likes being touched there.

It doesn’t happen every day, but sometimes the mystery guy brings a cold Starbucks cup. He sets it down on the ground by the leg of his chair. Shane sometimes watches the condensation drip off of the cup during class, when he gets tired of staring at the back of his head.

It’s not like Shane has never had a crush before. He knows how to handle this. Just keep enjoying the view until the new-ness of it all fades away. Or wait for mystery guy to blurt out some dumbass comment that proves he’s not the secret intellectual Shane is imagining him to be. Or wait for him to come to class with his smokin’ hot girlfriend and then be reminded of what heartbreak feels like. 

It’s not a problem, is the point. Shane is just going to wait this one out until some other buff guy catches his eye.

Shane shows up for class early, like he always does. He takes a seat in the second row. He’s busy pulling his notebook out of his backpack when the object of his secret affections takes the seat right next to him.

“Hey, I’m Ryan,” Ryan says with a blinding grin.

“Hey, uh.” Shane promptly forgets his own name.

Luckily, Ryan looks away to get his laptop out of his bag.  


Shane reminds himself to breathe. “Shane. I’m Shane Madej.”

“Cool.” Ryan smiles again. “We should be friends.”

“Okay,” Shane hastily agrees.

It’s going to be a long semester.


End file.
